During her visitations at Kibeho, the Holy Virgin revealed that this Rosary of the Seven Sorrows possesses immense spiritual power for those who say it sincerely. She promised that when prayed with an open and repentant heart, this Rosary would win us the Lord’s forgiveness for our sins and free souls from guilt and remorse. She also promised over time, this Rosary would develop within us a deep understanding of why we sin, and that knowledge would give us the wisdom and strength to change or remove any internal flaws, weaknesses of character, or personality faults causing unhappiness and keeping us from enjoying the joyous life God intended for us to live.
The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows contains all the power you need to change your life for the better, obtain peace and happiness, realize your full potential, fulfill all your dreams, and grow closer to God’s light.
—Immaculée Ilibagiza, international author and speaker on the apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho, Rwanda
How appropriate, as we now witness and experience unprecedented events of human suffering throughout the world (and with accentuated tragedy in Africa), that Our Lady now calls us through her African apparitions to return to a powerful traditional Marian chaplet by which we meditate on her own extraordinary and unparalleled own human sufferings united to those of her Son. The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows becomes a joining of our hearts to the Heart of Mary Co-redemptrix as a mysterious means by which we more efficaciously endure our own daily crosses, atone for our sins, purify our hearts, and transform all suffering into supernaturally redemptive acts for the salvation of contemporary humanity which is in such ubiquitous danger of eternal loss.
Taught by Our Lady directly and personally to the late visionary, Marie-Claire Mukangango during the Church approved apparitions in Kibeho, Rwanda, this new version of the traditional Seven Sorrows chaplet features supernaturally illuminated insights on precisely what Our Blessed Mother experienced during these seven historic piercings of her Immaculate Heart. I strongly encourage you to utilize the sublime meditations provided for each sorrow which contain the revelations of what Mary Co-redemptrix herself felt and suffered in her heart during these redemptive events in the life of Jesus the divine Redeemer during their joint historic mission of human redemption..
There is a heavenly reason why Our Lady of Kibeho is asking each one of us to begin anew the praying of the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows. Perhaps the answer entails elements of upcoming suffering for the Church and the world that require each one of us to become more focused on the redemptive sufferings of Jesus and Mary—so as to more profoundly live the Christian obligation to become “co-redeemers in Christ” (to use the expression of John Paul II) amidst the contemporary fire that we all must walk through in order to enter a new springtime for the Church and the world, a “Triumph” of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which will eventually lead to a universal era of peace as promised at Fatima.
Resurrection comes only after passion and death—for Jesus and for His Church. Let us begin consistently praying (especially on Tuesdays and Fridays, as specifically requested by Our Lady) the Kibeho Rosary of the Seven Sorrows, which paradoxically will sustain us in the supernatural joy of Jesus and Mary, regardless of what challenges for the Church and the world may lie ahead.
Heaven wants us to ponder the role of Mary Co-redemptrix today. Let’s respond in obedience to this celestial request. Pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary and let us do our part in reflecting the joy and peace of Jesus Christ through all that comes in pursuit of the eventual Triumph of her Immaculate Heart.
Dr. Mark Miravalle
Editor
The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows
This rosary recalls the seven major sorrows that the Virgin Mary suffered through—albeit with love and compassion—during the life, trials, and agonizing death of her son, Jesus Christ. It’s very special to the immaculate heart of the Blessed Mother, and she wants all of us to say it as often as possible.
The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows dates back to the Middle Ages, but it gained new popularity following the Marian apparitions in Kibeho, which have been approved by the Catholic Church. During Mary’s apparitions to Marie-Claire Mukangango, she assigned the young visionary a mission to reintroduce this special rosary to the world. Before her untimely death, Marie-Claire did just that, traveling widely to teach it to thousands of people, who then taught it to thousands of others.
During her visitations to Kibeho, the Holy Virgin revealed that this rosary possesses immense spiritual power for those who say it sincerely. She promised that when prayed with an open and repentant heart, the rosary would win us the Lord’s forgiveness for our sins and free our souls from guilt and remorse. She also promised that over time, the rosary would develop within us a deep understanding of why we sin, and that knowledge would give us the wisdom and strength to change or remove any internal flaws, weakness of character, or personality faults, causing unhappiness and keeping us from enjoying the joyous life God intended for us to live.
The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows contains all the power you need to change your life for the better, obtain peace and happiness, realize your true potential, fulfill all your dreams, and grow closer to God’s light. During one of her many apparitions to Marie-Claire, the Holy Virgin suggested that it be prayed as often as possible, but especially on Tuesdays and Fridays: Tuesday being the day Mary first appeared to Mary-Claire, and Friday being the day Christ was crucified. The Blessed Mother also stressed that the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows is intended to complement—and in no way replace—the traditional rosary. Pray both rosaries regularly and you’ll be doubly blessed!
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The following is a description of this amazing rosary as the Virgin Mother herself taught it to Marie-Claire in Kibeho. It may be prayed aloud or contemplated silently, alone or with others; the key is for the prayers, reflections, and meditations to always come from the depths of your heart.
I speak from experience when I promise that you’ll never regret learning this wonderful rosary and that you’ll soon lose track of the countless blessings that praying it will bring into your life. It’s my hope that more people than ever before will learn just how amazing this rosary is.
Please note that you don’t necessarily need any special beads to say these prayers; just follow the diagram and instructions below. (It is, however, important that when you reach each sorrowful mystery, you take a moment to meditate on the magnitude of Mary’s suffering … and the strength of her love.)
1. On the large medal at the bottom of the rosary:
a. Make the sign of the cross.
b. Say the Introductory Prayer.
c. Say the Act of Contrition.
2. For each of the next three beads, say a Hail Mary.
3. On the first small medal:
a. Say the prayer, “Most merciful mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your son, Jesus.”
b. Meditate upon the First Sorrowful Mystery.
c. Say the Lord’s Prayer.
4. For each of the next seven beads, say a Hail Mary.
5. On the second small medal:
a. Say the prayer, “Most merciful mother”
b. Meditate upon the Second Sorrowful Mystery.
c. Say the Lord’s Prayer.
6. For each of the next seven beads, say a Hail Mary.
7. On the third small medal:
a. Say the prayer, “Most merciful mother”
b. Meditate upon the Third Sorrowful Mystery.
c. Say the Lord’s Prayer.
8. For each of the next seven beads, say a Hail Mary.
9. On the fourth small medal:
a. Say the prayer, “Most merciful mother”
b. Meditate upon the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery.
c. Say the Lord’s Prayer.
10. For each of the next seven beads, say a Hail Mary.
11. On the fifth small medal:
a. Say the prayer, “Most merciful mother”
b. Meditate upon the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery.
c. Say the Lord’s Prayer.
12. For each of the next seven beads, say a Hail Mary.
13. On the sixth small medal:
a. Say the prayer, “Most merciful mother”
b. Meditate upon the Sixth Sorrowful Mystery.
c. Say the Lord’s Prayer.
14. For each of the next seven beads, say a Hail Mary.
15. On the seventh small medal:
a. Say the prayer, “Most merciful mother”
b. Meditate upon the Seventh Sorrowful Mystery.
c. Say the Lord’s Prayer.
16. For each of the next seven beads, say a Hail Mary.
17. Upon reaching the large medal at the bottom of the rosary:
a. Say the prayer, “Most merciful mother”
b. Say the Concluding Prayer.
c. Say three times: “Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us.”
Make a sign of the cross – your prayers will be answered!
Introductory Prayer
My God, I offer You this rosary for Your glory, so I may honor Your Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin, so I can share and meditate upon her suffering. I humbly beg You to give me true repentance for all my sins. Give me wisdom and humility so that I may receive all the indulgences contained in this prayer.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend You, my God, You Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Before Each Mystery, Pray
Most merciful mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your son, Jesus.
1. The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Prophecy of Simeon (Lk 2:22-35)
The Blessed Virgin Mary took Jesus to the temple, as tradition demanded that all newborns be blessed in the temple before God. There, the old priest Simeon held the baby Jesus in his hands, and the Holy Spirit filled his heart. Simeon recognized Jesus as the promised Savior and held the child high toward heaven, thanking God for granting his wish that he would live long enough to behold the Messiah.
“Now Your servant may depart this life in peace, my Lord,” he said. Then he looked upon Mary and proclaimed, “And you, woman, a sword of sorrow will pierce your heart because of the suffering that shall befall your child.”
The Blessed Virgin knew that she had given birth to the Savior of humankind, so she immediately understood and accepted Simeon’s prophecy. Although her heart was deeply touched by this favor of bearing the baby Jesus, her heart remained heavy and troubled, for she knew what had been written about the ordeals and subsequent death of the Savior. Whenever she saw her son, she was constantly reminded of the suffering he would be subject to, and his suffering became her own.
Prayer: Beloved Mother Mary, whose heart suffered beyond bearing because of us, teach us to suffer with you and with love, and to accept all the suffering God deems it necessary to send our way. Let us suffer, and may our suffering be known to God only, like yours and that of Jesus. Do not let us show our suffering to the world, so it will matter more and be used to atone for the sins of the world. You, Mother, who suffered with the Savior of the world, we offer you our suffering, and the suffering of the world, because we are your children. Join those sorrows to your own and to those of the Lord Jesus Christ, then offer them to God the Father so that He will know the one who created it. You are a mother greater than all.
2. The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Flight into Egypt (Mt 2:13-15)
Mary’s heart broke and her mind was greatly troubled when Joseph revealed to her the words of the angel: they were to wake up quickly and flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill Jesus. The Blessed Virgin hardly had time to decide what to take or leave behind; she took her child and left everything else, rushing outside before Joseph so that they could hurry as God wished. Then she said, “Even though God has power over everything, He wants us to flee with Jesus, His son. God will show us the way, and we shall arrive without being caught by the enemy.”
Because the Blessed Virgin was the mother of Jesus, she loved him more than anyone else. Her heart was deeply troubled at the sight of her infant son’s discomfort, and she suffered greatly because he was cold and shivering. While she and her husband were tired, sleepy, and hungry during this long travel, Mary’s only thought was about the safety and comfort of her child. She feared coming face to face with the soldiers who had been ordered to kill Jesus because she was aware that the enemy was still in Bethlehem. Her heart remained constantly anguished during this flight. She also knew that where they were going, there would be no friendly faces to greet them.
Prayer: Beloved Mother, who has suffered so much, give to us your courageous heart. Give us strength so that we can be brave like you and accept with love the suffering God sends our way. Help us to also accept all the suffering we inflict upon ourselves and the suffering inflicted upon us by others. Heavenly Mother, you alone purify our suffering so that we may give glory to God and save our souls.
3. The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:41-52)
Jesus was the only begotten son of God, but he was also Mary’s child. The Blessed Virgin loved Jesus more than herself because he was her God. Compared to other children, he was most unique because he was already living as God. When Mary lost Jesus on their way back from Jerusalem, the world became so big and lonely that she believed she couldn’t go on living without him, so great was her sorrow. (She felt the same pain her son felt when he was later abandoned by his apostles during the Passion.)
As the Holy Mother looked anxiously for her beloved boy, deep pain welled in her heart. She blamed herself, asking why she didn’t take greater care of him. But it was not her fault; Jesus no longer needed her protection as before. What really hurt Mary was that her son had decided to stay behind without her consent. Jesus had pleased her in everything so far: he never annoyed her in any way, nor would he ever displease his parents. She knew that he always did what was necessary, however, so she never suspected him of being disobedient.
Prayer: Beloved Mother, teach us to accept all our sufferings because of our sins and to atone for the sins of the whole world.
4. The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary (Lk 23:27-
31)
Mary witnessed Jesus carrying the heavy cross alone—the cross on which he was to be crucified. This didn’t surprise the Blessed Virgin because she already knew about the approaching death of Our Lord. Noting how her son was already weakened by the numerous hard blows given by the soldiers’ clubs, she was filled with anguish at his pain. The soldiers kept hurrying and pushing him, though he had no strength left. He fell, exhausted, unable to raise himself. At that moment, Mary’s eyes, so full of tender love and compassion, met her son’s eyes, which were pained and covered in blood. Their hearts seemed to be sharing the load; every pain he felt, she felt as well. They knew that nothing could be done except to believe and trust in God and dedicate their suffering to Him. All they could do was put everything in God’s hands.
Prayer: Beloved Mother, so stricken with grief, help us to bear our own suffering with courage and love so that we may relieve your sorrowful heart and that of Jesus. In doing so, may we give glory to God Who gave you and Jesus to humanity. As you suffered, teach us to suffer silently and patiently. Grant unto us the grace of loving God in everything. O Mother of Sorrows, most afflicted of all mothers, have mercy on the sinners of the whole world.
5. The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25-27)
The Blessed Virgin Mary continued to climb the mount to Calvary, following behind Jesus painfully and sorrowfully, yet suffering silently. She could see him staggering and falling with the cross some more, and she witnessed her son being beaten by soldiers who pulled his hair to force him to stand up. Despite his innocence, when Jesus reached the top of Calvary, he was ordered to confess in front of the crowd so they could laugh at him. Mary deeply felt her son’s pain and humiliation, particularly when his tormentors forced him to strip off what was left of his clothing. The Blessed Virgin felt sick at heart seeing these tyrants crucifying her son naked, shaming him terribly merely to amuse the jeering crowd. (Jesus and Mary felt more disgrace than normal people did because they were without sin and holy.) The Blessed Virgin Mary felt pain beyond bearing when Jesus was stretched out on the cross. His murderers sang merrily as they approached him with hammers and nails. They sat on him heavily so that he could not move when they spiked him to the wood. As they hammered the nails through his hands and feet, Mary felt the blows in her heart; the nails pierced her flesh as they tore into her son’s body. She felt her life fading away.
As the soldiers lifted the cross to drop it into the hole they’d dug, they deliberately jerked it, causing the force of Jesus’ bodily weight to tear through the flesh on his hands and expose his bone. The pain shot through his body like liquid fire. He endured three excruciating hours skewered on the cross, yet the physical pain was nothing compared to the agonizing heartache he was forced to bear seeing his mother suffering below him. Mercifully, he finally died.
Prayer: Beloved Mother, Queen of the Martyrs, give us the courage you had in all your sufferings so that we may unite our sufferings with yours and give glory to God. Help us follow all His commandments and those of the Church so that Our Lord’s sacrifice will not be in vain, and all sinners in the world will be saved.
6. The Sixth Sorrowful Mystery: Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus in Her Arms (Jn 19:38-40)
The friends of Jesus, Joseph and Nicodemus, took down his body from the cross and placed it in the outstretched arms of the Blessed Virgin. Then Mary washed it with deep respect and love because she was his mother. She knew better than anyone else that he was God incarnate who’d taken a human body to become the Savior of all people.
Mary could see the terrifying wounds from the flogging Jesus had received while at Pilate’s. His flesh had been shredded and large strips had been torn from his back. His entire body had been so lacerated that gaping wounds crisscrossed him from head to toe. Mary found that the wounds from the nails were less severe than those caused by the flogging and by carrying the cross. She was horrified at the thought that her son had managed to carry the heavy, splintered cross all the way to Calvary. She saw the circle of blood the crown of thorns had made on his forehead and, to her horror, realized that many of the barbed thorns had dug so deeply into his skull they had penetrated his brain. Looking at her broken boy, the Holy Mother knew that his agonizing death was far worse than the torture reserved for the wickedest of criminals. As she cleaned his damaged body she envisioned him during each stage of his short life, remembering her first look at his beautiful newborn face as they lay in the manger, and every day in between, until this heartrending moment as she gently bathed his lifeless body. Her anguish was relentless as she prepared her son and Lord for burial, but she remained brave and strong, becoming the true Queen of Martyrs. As she washed her son she prayed that everybody would know the riches of paradise and enter the gates of heaven. She prayed for every soul in the world to embrace God’s love, so her son’s torturous death would benefit all humankind and not have been in vain. Mary prayed for the world; she prayed for all of us.
Prayer: We thank you, Beloved Mother, for your courage as you stood beneath your dying child to comfort him on the cross. As our Savior drew his last breath, you became a wonderful mother to all of us; you became the Blessed Mother of the world. We know that you love us more than our own earthly parents do. We implore you to be our advocate before the throne of mercy and grace so that we can truly become your children. We thank you for Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, and we thank Jesus for giving you to us. Please pray for us, Mother.
7. The Seventh Sorrowful Mystery: Jesus Is Placed in the Tomb (Jn 19:41-42)
The life of the Blessed Virgin Mary was so closely linked to that of Jesus she thought there was no reason for her to go on living any longer. Her only comfort was that his death had ended his unspeakable suffering. Our sorrowful mother, with the help of John and the holy women, devoutly placed Jesus’ body in the sepulcher, and she left him there as any other dead person. She went home with great pain and tremendous sorrow; for the first time she was without him, and her loneliness was a new and bitter source of pain. Her heart had been dying since her son’s heart had stopped beating, but she was certain that our Savior would soon be resurrected.
Prayer: Most Beloved Mother, whose beauty surpasses that of all mothers, mother of mercy, mother of Jesus, and mother to us all, we are your children and we place all our trust in you. Teach us to see God in all things and all situations, even our sufferings. Help us to understand the importance of suffering, and also to know the purpose of our suffering as God had intended it.
You yourself were conceived and born without sin, were preserved from sin, yet you suffered more than anybody else has. You accepted suffering and pain with love and with unsurpassed courage. You stood by your son from the time he was arrested until he died.
You suffered along with him, felt every pain and torment he did. You accomplished the will of God the Father; and according to His will, you have become our savior with Jesus. We beg you, dear Mother, to teach us to do as Jesus did. Teach us to accept our cross courageously. We trust you, most merciful mother, so teach us to sacrifice for all the sinners in the world. Help us to follow in your son’s footsteps, and even to be willing to lay down our lives for
others.
Concluding Prayer: Queen of Martyrs, your heart suffered so much. I beg you, by the merits
of the tears you shed in these terrible and sorrowful times, to obtain for me and all the sinners of the world the grace of complete sincerity and repentance. Amen.
Three times, say: Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us.